Our County's controversial Code Enforcement Officer, Mr. Acosta, went to the Old City Reservoir, inspected, but now claims that he took no notes, passing on glib reassurances about City Manager HARRISS having everything under control. The Old City Reservoir is located in St. Johns County, outside City limits, on Holmes Blvd Extended, between King Street and Four Mile Rd. It is near the Courthouse. EPA and FDEP found the site and have an active criminal investigation. Our City and County officials originally told DEP on February 24, 2006 that they were not aware of any Old City Reservoir. Mr. Acosta repeatedly sent E-mails to me in which he demanded directions, after I sent him an aerial photo in a PDF file from SJRWMD. On April 11, 2006, I wrote Mr. Acosta:
Dear Mr. Acosta:
1. Why would you inspect a contaminated site and take no notes? Desuetude?
2. What did Mr. Harriss tell you?
3. In Boston, people once said "the Lowells speak only to the Cabots and the Cabots speak only to God."
4. In St. Augustine, Mr. Harriss, City Commissioners and God may not be on speaking terms, as evidenced by what [City officials] have done to the land and the people.
5. It appears that Mr. Harriss only talks to developers and polluters.
Thank you.
With kindest regards,
Ed Slavin
In a message dated 4/10/2006 2:03:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, jacosta@co.st-johns.fl.us writes:
The Code Enforcement Program of St Johns County has no report to forward to you. My understanding of the situation is this matter is being dealt with by FDEP and the City of St Augustine. You may want to make contact with City Manager Bill Harriss.
-----Original Message-----From: EASlavin@aol.com [mailto:EASlavin@aol.com]Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 12:43 PMTo: James AcostaCc: Dan BosankoSubject: Re: Please send a copy of report on Old St. Augustine Reservoir
Dear Mr. Acosta:
You inspected the site. You took notes. You made a report. You talked with DEP and St. Aug officials. You took notes. Please forward them.
Thank you.
Ed Slavin
In a message dated 4/6/2006 7:57:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, jacosta@co.st-johns.fl.us writes:
The Code Enforcement Program of St Johns County has no report to forward to you. My understanding of the situation is this matter is being dealt with by FDEP and the City of St Augustine. You may want to make contact with City Manager Bill Harriss.
-----Original Message-----From: EASlavin@aol.com [mailto:EASlavin@aol.com]Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 10:30 PMTo: James AcostaCc: Dan Bosanko; EASlavin@aol.comSubject: Fwd: Please send a copy of report on Old St. Augustine Reservoir
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Why No HAZMATS Signs on Leonardi Street?
Our City could easily erect a sign at the intersections leading to Leonardi Street, stating "No HAZMATS. This would exclude through trucks carrying explosive propane, while allowing local propane deliveries on Leonardi Street. Why was this not done years ago? What principled reason exists, if any, for our City Manager, WILLIAM B . HARRIS, refusing to "just say no" to Amerigas and UGI? Mr. HARRISS, we will print your response.
Leonardi Street's Trucks: Egos & Huge UGI
Leonardi Street residents have repeatedly asked City Commissioners and staff to do something about the trucks using their street as a shortcut.
Their concerns have led to thousands of dollars in engineering studies but no solution.
A sign banning large trucks not making local deliveries would suffice.
Our City Manager disdains the people and their concerns. Our Commissioners defer to him.
One of the companies whose trucks use the street is Amerigas, which distributes over 1 billion gallons of propane annually and has operations in the U.S. and other countries, with local trucks dispatched from Houston, Texas.
http://www.amerigas.com/
http://www.shareholder.com/ugi/downloads/UGI2005proxy.pdf
Rather than stand up to a multinational corporation (NYSE: UGI) and its subsidiary, Amerigas Partners (NYSE:AGP), based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, our St. Augustine City Commissioners would rather talk around the topic.
Residents have repeatedly petitioned respectfully for a redress of grievances for years.
Residents have left meetings frustrated with Commissioners unwillingness to listen, "frozen," FDR would say "in the ice of their own indifference." Commissioner Errol Jones spoke for almost 15 minutes about the history of the street and his childhood memories.
It doesn't take much effort to put up a sigin excluding commercial trucks over a stated weight, just as exist on other City streets, including those where some City officials dwell.
Our country was not founded for public officials to cower to power.
On April 24, there will be yet another City Commission meeting (5 PM, Alcazar Room, Lightner Museum and City Hall Bldg, 75 King Street).
On April 26th, there will be a live conference call and webcast by UGI and Amerigas on their latest quarterly earnings. Saving a few seconds to cut through a residential neighborhood must make a de minimis contribution to those quarterly earnings of else Amerigas would have respected citizens' calls to its Houston dispatcher.
I am sure that UGI and Amerigas' risk analysts and "beancounters" may even be willing to share statistics on it (e.g., the risk of a wreck vs. the time and money saved). No doubt UGI and Amerigas can explain it to us (and Wall Street analysts and other reporters). To participate in the April 26, 2006 4 PM UGI/AGP conference call, see http://www.shareholder.com/ugi/calendar-detail_new.cfm?EventID=26091
Their concerns have led to thousands of dollars in engineering studies but no solution.
A sign banning large trucks not making local deliveries would suffice.
Our City Manager disdains the people and their concerns. Our Commissioners defer to him.
One of the companies whose trucks use the street is Amerigas, which distributes over 1 billion gallons of propane annually and has operations in the U.S. and other countries, with local trucks dispatched from Houston, Texas.
http://www.amerigas.com/
http://www.shareholder.com/ugi/downloads/UGI2005proxy.pdf
Rather than stand up to a multinational corporation (NYSE: UGI) and its subsidiary, Amerigas Partners (NYSE:AGP), based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, our St. Augustine City Commissioners would rather talk around the topic.
Residents have repeatedly petitioned respectfully for a redress of grievances for years.
Residents have left meetings frustrated with Commissioners unwillingness to listen, "frozen," FDR would say "in the ice of their own indifference." Commissioner Errol Jones spoke for almost 15 minutes about the history of the street and his childhood memories.
It doesn't take much effort to put up a sigin excluding commercial trucks over a stated weight, just as exist on other City streets, including those where some City officials dwell.
Our country was not founded for public officials to cower to power.
On April 24, there will be yet another City Commission meeting (5 PM, Alcazar Room, Lightner Museum and City Hall Bldg, 75 King Street).
On April 26th, there will be a live conference call and webcast by UGI and Amerigas on their latest quarterly earnings. Saving a few seconds to cut through a residential neighborhood must make a de minimis contribution to those quarterly earnings of else Amerigas would have respected citizens' calls to its Houston dispatcher.
I am sure that UGI and Amerigas' risk analysts and "beancounters" may even be willing to share statistics on it (e.g., the risk of a wreck vs. the time and money saved). No doubt UGI and Amerigas can explain it to us (and Wall Street analysts and other reporters). To participate in the April 26, 2006 4 PM UGI/AGP conference call, see http://www.shareholder.com/ugi/calendar-detail_new.cfm?EventID=26091
Let's Preserve 10,000 Years of St. Augustine History
We have 10,000 years of history here in St. Augustine and it must be preserved, protected and defended.It takes a village to protect our precious cultural heritage. From ethnocentric U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service information to culturally insensitive displays at privately owned tourist attractions, we must correct the record.As an historic City, we do our visitors a disservice when we talk only of the last 440 years of history.When indigenous peoples' holy and burial sites are turned into strip malls and condominiums, that is truly a disgrace to the human race. On January 9, 2006, four out of five City Commissioners possibly voted to do just that (Mayor Gardner dissenting). Developer Robert Graubard's consultant report showing a 2000-4000 year old indigenous habitation was not shared with the city, state or county archeologist. The site (next to St. Augustine H.S. on the west side of Lewis Speedway) contains multiple manmade mounds, possible burial or ceremonial sites. Dr. Kenneth Sassaman, Acting Chair of Anthropology at the University of FL, examined the Environmental Services, Inc. report and is ready, willing and able to send graduate students to investigate the Red House Bluff site. Yet our City won't even send the report to the state archeologist, Laura Kammerer, who won't read it since it wasn't sent to her by a governmental agency. (I faxed it to her on January 23rd). Between hope and history lies a place where some fear to tread -- Ms. Kammerer said to me, "I work for the Governor," as if that excused her refusal to do her job without fear or favor of developers. What do y'all reckon?
20,000 Cubic Yards of Illegal Dumping Is....
enough stuff to fill in six Olympic size swimming pools to a depth of six feet. Or enough stuff to cover a football field to a depth of some 11.2 feet. Or enough, potentially, to kill all of the fish and wildlife in a coquina pit pond where local people have fished and swam for generations.
Do our putative City "leaders" expect us to think that this was merely a "mistake?"
Make no mistake about it -- there are no environmentalists on the St. Augustine City Commission.
There is no City manager with the word "environmental" in his title.
They may not hate nature, but what they did to the Old City Reservoir is considered criminal by state and federal regulators. I never used the word "criminal" in reporting "just the facts" to the National Response Center on February 17 (Report No. 788280).
Does being the government of the City of St. Augustine mean never having to say you're sorry?
Do our putative City "leaders" expect us to think that this was merely a "mistake?"
Make no mistake about it -- there are no environmentalists on the St. Augustine City Commission.
There is no City manager with the word "environmental" in his title.
They may not hate nature, but what they did to the Old City Reservoir is considered criminal by state and federal regulators. I never used the word "criminal" in reporting "just the facts" to the National Response Center on February 17 (Report No. 788280).
Does being the government of the City of St. Augustine mean never having to say you're sorry?
Friday, April 14, 2006
Are These Trips Necessary?
The NYC trip was not the first or last trip. Vice Mayor Susan Burk flew to Germany to examine mechanical parking garages, when fine examples exist in the USA. The St. Augustine Record blasted wasteful spending in this 2003 editorial: Editorial: Travel idea not good for city Publication Date: 06/28/03
A pattern of feeding at the public trough has emerged at St. Augustine City Hall under the new administration, led by Mayor George Gardner. The pattern is a far stretch from the focus on public service promised before the November election.
The mayor ran on a platform of openness and need for change. He said he was determined to be more responsive to the public than his predecessors.
Well, lately, he has been making the previous administration look pretty solid by comparison. The previous administration didn't ask for big raises and free travel to Europe for their significant others. The previous administration was criticized for its stance on public issues, not its desire to spend public money on itself.
That desire to spend has become a major distraction for the Gardner-led government in the Nation's Oldest City. And the timing of the distraction couldn't be much worse, as matters of great public importance are on the agenda: the San Sebastian harbor project, the Bridge of Lions, parking plans and so on. It will be difficult to build consensus with lingering questions about ethics and motivation.
Gardner said he made a mistake recently when he asked for the mayor to receive $20,000 a year in compensation, which would have been more than the mayor in Daytona Beach, a much larger community. He apologized to the community for raising the subject, for thinking he was entitled to a larger salary for his labor. He later said he did not want a raise of any kind. But somehow his apology didn't stop him from voting for the more modest increase city staff proposed for the mayor, from $12,000 to $16,000. Maybe he won't cash the checks when the raise kicks in next fiscal year.
Then, this week the mayor brought to the commission table an idea that taxpayers should pay for plane tickets for commissioners' spouses to go on fancy trips. Wouldn't it be nice to take them all to Spain for the Aviles sister city exchange?
It turns out that St. Augustine can't pay the freight unless the spouses perform official functions while traveling. So the commission decided that the spouses can be voted in as temporary ambassadors!
Isn't that great?
The mayor said it's just too expensive to take his wife to Spain otherwise. And the move, which only Commissioner Errol Jones opposed in a 3-1 vote, would open the door, like the salary increase, for future commissioners who don't have as much money as some of the former wealthy officeholders. Commissioners Don Crichlow and Bill Lennon also voted for the measure. Commissioner Susan Burk was out of town and not present for the vote.
The Gardner logic goes something like this: How can poorer commissioners-to-be step in and function as their elite predecessors without the public's help?
Recall that Gardner, who has a home in St. Augustine, stayed two nights at the taxpayers' expense at the downtown St. Augustine Casa Monica Hotel when Spanish dignitaries visited earlier in the year.
It is possible that he just doesn't see the problem that other people see with such spending.
It is possible that he thinks it is perfectly fine for taxpayers to foot the bill for his wife to fly to Spain.
In defense of his travel position, Gardner said his wife would be asked to go to many events in Spain, that there would be much effort involved. Former Mayor Mark Alexander, who paid for his own wife's ticket to Spain, said Thursday that the most she had to do was shake a few hands, that there were no official duties to assume and that the trip was really more of a social occasion or vacation for her.
If Gardner wants to be different from the old guard, why not suggest canceling the trip?
We noticed that the Spanish delegation sent to St. Augustine did not involve an entire elected body. It involved a few key officials. And it involved a group of young entertainers, among others.
Why doesn't this administration send a group of young entertainers to Spain, along with one or two key public officials? (If others want to go, too, let them pay their own way.)
That would set a different sort of tone, more like what voters expected when they cast their lots for change.
Commissioner Lennon said Thursday that he was unaware Monday night he was voting on a general travel proposal. He said he did not know his vote would open the door for spouses to fly for free to Spain. He said he thought the vote was specifically for an upcoming League of Cities trip. He said he was shocked by what he read on Thursday's front page about the mayor's desire to send his wife to Spain. Lennon said he has always paid his own wife's way to such things.
It is up to Lennon, then, to correct the matter. He can bring the issue back up to the commission when all are in attendance. And he can insist on discussion, which was strangely absent from the last vote, whether this new "more open" commission wants to talk about the matter or not.
Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/062803/opi_1632843.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
A pattern of feeding at the public trough has emerged at St. Augustine City Hall under the new administration, led by Mayor George Gardner. The pattern is a far stretch from the focus on public service promised before the November election.
The mayor ran on a platform of openness and need for change. He said he was determined to be more responsive to the public than his predecessors.
Well, lately, he has been making the previous administration look pretty solid by comparison. The previous administration didn't ask for big raises and free travel to Europe for their significant others. The previous administration was criticized for its stance on public issues, not its desire to spend public money on itself.
That desire to spend has become a major distraction for the Gardner-led government in the Nation's Oldest City. And the timing of the distraction couldn't be much worse, as matters of great public importance are on the agenda: the San Sebastian harbor project, the Bridge of Lions, parking plans and so on. It will be difficult to build consensus with lingering questions about ethics and motivation.
Gardner said he made a mistake recently when he asked for the mayor to receive $20,000 a year in compensation, which would have been more than the mayor in Daytona Beach, a much larger community. He apologized to the community for raising the subject, for thinking he was entitled to a larger salary for his labor. He later said he did not want a raise of any kind. But somehow his apology didn't stop him from voting for the more modest increase city staff proposed for the mayor, from $12,000 to $16,000. Maybe he won't cash the checks when the raise kicks in next fiscal year.
Then, this week the mayor brought to the commission table an idea that taxpayers should pay for plane tickets for commissioners' spouses to go on fancy trips. Wouldn't it be nice to take them all to Spain for the Aviles sister city exchange?
It turns out that St. Augustine can't pay the freight unless the spouses perform official functions while traveling. So the commission decided that the spouses can be voted in as temporary ambassadors!
Isn't that great?
The mayor said it's just too expensive to take his wife to Spain otherwise. And the move, which only Commissioner Errol Jones opposed in a 3-1 vote, would open the door, like the salary increase, for future commissioners who don't have as much money as some of the former wealthy officeholders. Commissioners Don Crichlow and Bill Lennon also voted for the measure. Commissioner Susan Burk was out of town and not present for the vote.
The Gardner logic goes something like this: How can poorer commissioners-to-be step in and function as their elite predecessors without the public's help?
Recall that Gardner, who has a home in St. Augustine, stayed two nights at the taxpayers' expense at the downtown St. Augustine Casa Monica Hotel when Spanish dignitaries visited earlier in the year.
It is possible that he just doesn't see the problem that other people see with such spending.
It is possible that he thinks it is perfectly fine for taxpayers to foot the bill for his wife to fly to Spain.
In defense of his travel position, Gardner said his wife would be asked to go to many events in Spain, that there would be much effort involved. Former Mayor Mark Alexander, who paid for his own wife's ticket to Spain, said Thursday that the most she had to do was shake a few hands, that there were no official duties to assume and that the trip was really more of a social occasion or vacation for her.
If Gardner wants to be different from the old guard, why not suggest canceling the trip?
We noticed that the Spanish delegation sent to St. Augustine did not involve an entire elected body. It involved a few key officials. And it involved a group of young entertainers, among others.
Why doesn't this administration send a group of young entertainers to Spain, along with one or two key public officials? (If others want to go, too, let them pay their own way.)
That would set a different sort of tone, more like what voters expected when they cast their lots for change.
Commissioner Lennon said Thursday that he was unaware Monday night he was voting on a general travel proposal. He said he did not know his vote would open the door for spouses to fly for free to Spain. He said he thought the vote was specifically for an upcoming League of Cities trip. He said he was shocked by what he read on Thursday's front page about the mayor's desire to send his wife to Spain. Lennon said he has always paid his own wife's way to such things.
It is up to Lennon, then, to correct the matter. He can bring the issue back up to the commission when all are in attendance. And he can insist on discussion, which was strangely absent from the last vote, whether this new "more open" commission wants to talk about the matter or not.
Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/062803/opi_1632843.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
Wasteful Spending on New York and Foreign Junkets
Our City Manager, his wife, our Mayor, his wife, three other Commissioners and their spouses and significant others spent over $8100 on a trip to NYC -- a possible Sunshine violation -- for the purpose of getting a bond rating, which they could have obtained by fax. They spent money like cartelists, while showing elitist disdain for our City's workers. An entry-level fireman is paid only some $31,000. The City Commissioners wasted in three days what the fireman earns in three months. The St. Augustine Record covered the story well last year (while not discussing the apparent Sunshine Law violation):
Valuable trip or junket? Five city commissioners and the city manager spend $8,188.65 of taxpayer money for a trip to New York about St. Augustine's bond rating for a water plant project, a trip bond agencies say wasn't necessary By KATI BEXLEY kati.bexley@staugustinerecord.com Publication Date: 06/05/05
St. Augustine's five city commissioners, the city manager, and their spouses went to New York City for four days in March, spending more than $8,000 on a trip they say was necessary to ensure a good bond rating.
"One of the best tools we have for the bond rating agencies is for them to see (the commissioners) so they know who is making the decisions," City Manager Bill Harriss said. "It's PR."
However, three bond rating company representatives and city and county officials from around the state say trips like the city commission's are not needed. One county official laughed out loud when he heard that the entire City Commission went.
"Regardless of the size of the city, it's strictly what's on the paper," said Leslie Wilkins, of the Standard & Poors New York City media relations department, referring to the city's financial health. "Meeting the people won't change that."
For three nights in late March, Harriss took the commissioners to meet with three different bond-rating agencies, including Standard & Poors, and one insurance company in New York City to sell a $21.4 million utility bond for capital improvements to the water plant. The city received an A rating from all three agencies, which is the third highest rating.
Because St. Augustine is small -- its population is 13,245 -- Harriss said meeting the companies face-to-face is essential to making the city stand out.
But the city of Cocoa Beach has a population of about 12,800 and it received an AA rating, second from the highest, from Standard & Poors through a conference call, said Ken Kilgore, finance director. Its bond was for $14 million.
"(The companies) never did really suggest we pack up and go there," Kilgore said. "In our case, we didn't think it was necessary. (The companies) didn't seem to think it was necessary."
Several Florida cities and counties contacted by The Record said they sometimes send one elected official along with their finance staff to meet with bond-rating companies in New York. None send the entire commission.
"Do the (New York) companies want to meet all of the commissioners and their spouses? No," Allen MacDonald, St. Johns County Finance Director, said through laughter. "That would be an overkill."
John Incorvaia, senior vice president of Moody's, another bond agency with which the commissioners met, said a community's management is an element in his analysis of a bond.
"We need to, at some point in time, make sure we have confidence in the stability of the government (that is in charge of the bond)," Incorvaia said. "It's always helpful when we meet the decision-makers."
Incorvaia also said he does not "necessarily encourage issuers to meet with them unless they have not seen them in a long time."
The St. Augustine City Commission last went to New York City as a group in 2002, according to Harriss.
Amy Laskey, an analyst from Fitch, the third company with which the commission met, also said it is useful to meet the City Commission, but said it doesn't impact the bond rating.
"No, the rating isn't affected by whether we meet commissioners," Laskey said.
Spouses, significant others went along
The married commissioners and the city manager took their wives to New York. The two single commissioners took their significant others. The city paid for air fare and hotel accommodations for the commissioners and the city manager, but not air fare for the spouses.
They stayed at the Double Tree hotel, but a hotel representative said she could not tell if they paid for a double or single room by looking at their rates. This is because single and double room rates can range from a difference of $20 to $80 each week, and their computers can only look five days back, the hotel representative said.
All stayed three nights, except City Commissioner Susan Burk who stayed one more night to attend a meeting that the others could not attend.
The companies bought the majority of the meals for the commissioners, but Burk said they went to diners and little Italian restaurants. There is no record of the meals bought for them, except for one meal Harriss bought for the commissioners.
"We went to whatever was close by and convenient," Burk said.
'Refreshing' that commission went
Harriss said one of the reasons he asked all the commissioners to go is because of changes after the 2002 election.
Before that election, Standard & Poors approved a $4 million bond for St. Augustine to build a parking garage behind the Lightner Museum. After the election, the sentiment of the commission changed against that proposed garage, and the money was not used for that project, Harriss said. That $4 million is paying for the parking garage now being built north of downtown, Harriss said.
"The bond agencies were very concerned. That's when I said, 'I've got to stop this, or it's going to snowball,' " Harriss said. "I have convinced these New York guys we have a good commission that is unified."
Commissioner Don Crichlow said he asked the companies himself if meeting with them had an effect on bond ratings.
"I intentionally asked each one of these folks when we were up there," he said. "They said it was very refreshing to see the whole commission. They said, 'It is really impressive.' Those were (each company's) exact words."
In reply to Standard & Poors' spokeswoman saying the information on paper determines bond ratings, Commissioner Burk said they have to say that.
"It's like a bank can't say, 'I'm going to loan you money because I like you,' " she said.
Burk also said having the companies go to dinner with the commissioners' spouses and significant others personalized the bond-rating process.
"It's humanizing the event," she said. "Even though (the companies) don't want to humanize it, we want to. We want them to know the people in our city."
'Never heard' of all commissioners going
City of Port St. Lucie accountant Marcia Dedert disagrees. Her city, with a population of 130,000, has received an AA rating -- a higher rating than St. Augustine received -- for a $100 million bond from the same New York companies. She said they never send any of their City Council members to meet them.
"They ask financial questions, and they want a report on financial conditions, so that's who goes (to New York)," Dedert said. "I have not heard of (the companies) wanting to see our City Council."
Commissioner Errol Jones said the New York trip was not a vacation for him.
"I took time off my job for this. I get paid for those (vacation) days if I don't use them," he said. "I went to the meetings all day."
Trip's goal: Save citizens money
For Commissioner Joe Boles, the trip was a wise business decision for the city.
"It's a lot easier to judge a company when you know who's running it," he said. "It takes money to make money, as long as we get a good rating -- because that's what ultimately saves our community thousands of dollars."
Mayor George Gardner echoed his fellow commissioners in saying, "I wouldn't term (the New York trip) a junket. ... I'm not a bond expert, but I think it's important the city make every effort to try to get the best (bond) rating possible."
Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/060505/new_3116660.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
Valuable trip or junket? Five city commissioners and the city manager spend $8,188.65 of taxpayer money for a trip to New York about St. Augustine's bond rating for a water plant project, a trip bond agencies say wasn't necessary By KATI BEXLEY kati.bexley@staugustinerecord.com Publication Date: 06/05/05
St. Augustine's five city commissioners, the city manager, and their spouses went to New York City for four days in March, spending more than $8,000 on a trip they say was necessary to ensure a good bond rating.
"One of the best tools we have for the bond rating agencies is for them to see (the commissioners) so they know who is making the decisions," City Manager Bill Harriss said. "It's PR."
However, three bond rating company representatives and city and county officials from around the state say trips like the city commission's are not needed. One county official laughed out loud when he heard that the entire City Commission went.
"Regardless of the size of the city, it's strictly what's on the paper," said Leslie Wilkins, of the Standard & Poors New York City media relations department, referring to the city's financial health. "Meeting the people won't change that."
For three nights in late March, Harriss took the commissioners to meet with three different bond-rating agencies, including Standard & Poors, and one insurance company in New York City to sell a $21.4 million utility bond for capital improvements to the water plant. The city received an A rating from all three agencies, which is the third highest rating.
Because St. Augustine is small -- its population is 13,245 -- Harriss said meeting the companies face-to-face is essential to making the city stand out.
But the city of Cocoa Beach has a population of about 12,800 and it received an AA rating, second from the highest, from Standard & Poors through a conference call, said Ken Kilgore, finance director. Its bond was for $14 million.
"(The companies) never did really suggest we pack up and go there," Kilgore said. "In our case, we didn't think it was necessary. (The companies) didn't seem to think it was necessary."
Several Florida cities and counties contacted by The Record said they sometimes send one elected official along with their finance staff to meet with bond-rating companies in New York. None send the entire commission.
"Do the (New York) companies want to meet all of the commissioners and their spouses? No," Allen MacDonald, St. Johns County Finance Director, said through laughter. "That would be an overkill."
John Incorvaia, senior vice president of Moody's, another bond agency with which the commissioners met, said a community's management is an element in his analysis of a bond.
"We need to, at some point in time, make sure we have confidence in the stability of the government (that is in charge of the bond)," Incorvaia said. "It's always helpful when we meet the decision-makers."
Incorvaia also said he does not "necessarily encourage issuers to meet with them unless they have not seen them in a long time."
The St. Augustine City Commission last went to New York City as a group in 2002, according to Harriss.
Amy Laskey, an analyst from Fitch, the third company with which the commission met, also said it is useful to meet the City Commission, but said it doesn't impact the bond rating.
"No, the rating isn't affected by whether we meet commissioners," Laskey said.
Spouses, significant others went along
The married commissioners and the city manager took their wives to New York. The two single commissioners took their significant others. The city paid for air fare and hotel accommodations for the commissioners and the city manager, but not air fare for the spouses.
They stayed at the Double Tree hotel, but a hotel representative said she could not tell if they paid for a double or single room by looking at their rates. This is because single and double room rates can range from a difference of $20 to $80 each week, and their computers can only look five days back, the hotel representative said.
All stayed three nights, except City Commissioner Susan Burk who stayed one more night to attend a meeting that the others could not attend.
The companies bought the majority of the meals for the commissioners, but Burk said they went to diners and little Italian restaurants. There is no record of the meals bought for them, except for one meal Harriss bought for the commissioners.
"We went to whatever was close by and convenient," Burk said.
'Refreshing' that commission went
Harriss said one of the reasons he asked all the commissioners to go is because of changes after the 2002 election.
Before that election, Standard & Poors approved a $4 million bond for St. Augustine to build a parking garage behind the Lightner Museum. After the election, the sentiment of the commission changed against that proposed garage, and the money was not used for that project, Harriss said. That $4 million is paying for the parking garage now being built north of downtown, Harriss said.
"The bond agencies were very concerned. That's when I said, 'I've got to stop this, or it's going to snowball,' " Harriss said. "I have convinced these New York guys we have a good commission that is unified."
Commissioner Don Crichlow said he asked the companies himself if meeting with them had an effect on bond ratings.
"I intentionally asked each one of these folks when we were up there," he said. "They said it was very refreshing to see the whole commission. They said, 'It is really impressive.' Those were (each company's) exact words."
In reply to Standard & Poors' spokeswoman saying the information on paper determines bond ratings, Commissioner Burk said they have to say that.
"It's like a bank can't say, 'I'm going to loan you money because I like you,' " she said.
Burk also said having the companies go to dinner with the commissioners' spouses and significant others personalized the bond-rating process.
"It's humanizing the event," she said. "Even though (the companies) don't want to humanize it, we want to. We want them to know the people in our city."
'Never heard' of all commissioners going
City of Port St. Lucie accountant Marcia Dedert disagrees. Her city, with a population of 130,000, has received an AA rating -- a higher rating than St. Augustine received -- for a $100 million bond from the same New York companies. She said they never send any of their City Council members to meet them.
"They ask financial questions, and they want a report on financial conditions, so that's who goes (to New York)," Dedert said. "I have not heard of (the companies) wanting to see our City Council."
Commissioner Errol Jones said the New York trip was not a vacation for him.
"I took time off my job for this. I get paid for those (vacation) days if I don't use them," he said. "I went to the meetings all day."
Trip's goal: Save citizens money
For Commissioner Joe Boles, the trip was a wise business decision for the city.
"It's a lot easier to judge a company when you know who's running it," he said. "It takes money to make money, as long as we get a good rating -- because that's what ultimately saves our community thousands of dollars."
Mayor George Gardner echoed his fellow commissioners in saying, "I wouldn't term (the New York trip) a junket. ... I'm not a bond expert, but I think it's important the city make every effort to try to get the best (bond) rating possible."
Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/060505/new_3116660.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
Do City of St. Augustine & Mayor, Ignore Housing Problems?
The documentary blog, Dare Not Walk Alone, reports that on February 28, Mayor George Gardner walked out of a meeting on housing and said there was no housing problem in our City. St Augustine Mayor Walks Out of Housing Meeting There was a housing summit today in Saint Augustine to discuss the deplorable conditions in some Saint Augustine neighborhoods. This meeting was organized after Senator Tony Hill viewed the film, Dare Not Walk Alone. He was appalled at the conditions of the houses shown in the documentary and wanted to address this situation by getting the city fathers together.The meeting was held today, Feb 28. St Augustine Mayor, George Gardner stayed for a while and then stood up to leave. Before he left, however, he personally attacked Jeremy Dean for making Dare Not Walk Alone and said that Jeremy obviously only sees the "glass as half-empty." Mr. Gardner went on to say that Saint Augustine does not have a housing problem and then WALKED OUT of the meeting!. Everyone was totally stunned. (I would like to note here that Mr. Gardner's term expires in December, 2006. Thank goodness!)After the Mayor walked out, the rest of the attendees boarded buses to view the worst areas of town and the areas needing the most help. Most people were visibly shaken and some even said they couldn't believe that they were still in America. The worst areas look more like Haiti than the well-groomed homes of the touristy areas of town.I'm still waiting for word from the Mayor's office as to why he walked out and will advise you when I get a statement.posted by DNWA at 12:13 PM 0 comments links to this post
Living Wage Ordinance
Orlando, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties (over 130 jurisdictions nationally) already have what City of St. Augustine City Commissioners won't even discuss or debate -- a Living Wage Ordinance.
Why won't Commissioners direct their staff to research the issue and obtain help from a university economist?
Real estate and gasoline prices are making times tough for workers. Our City thrives on tourism and the tour guides, drivers and hospitality workers who make tourists want to come back again and again, as many of us did before we moved to this wonderful place. Those workers deserve decent respect from employers. Why was I the only person to call the Canadian billionaire in response to Folio Weekly's disclosures about local pay and benefit cuts afflicting local Tour Train and Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum workers? No "oar in that water?" To whom do our City Commissioners think they're talking?
Why won't our City Commissioners discuss the Living Wage issue?
What do y'all reckon?
Why won't Commissioners direct their staff to research the issue and obtain help from a university economist?
Real estate and gasoline prices are making times tough for workers. Our City thrives on tourism and the tour guides, drivers and hospitality workers who make tourists want to come back again and again, as many of us did before we moved to this wonderful place. Those workers deserve decent respect from employers. Why was I the only person to call the Canadian billionaire in response to Folio Weekly's disclosures about local pay and benefit cuts afflicting local Tour Train and Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum workers? No "oar in that water?" To whom do our City Commissioners think they're talking?
Why won't our City Commissioners discuss the Living Wage issue?
What do y'all reckon?
Poverty, Prejudice and Oppression
At Monday night's St. Augustine City Commission (April 10), the Episocopal priest led a prayer, asking that our Commissioners work to alleviate poverty, prejudice and oppression. We're still praying for them today.
All five City Commissioners refused to discuss those issues when I questioned them.
Vice Mayor Burk interrupting me angrily when I discussed the fact that West Augustine residents pay 25% more for their water and sewer services, while the City refuses to discuss annexation of this underserved, primarily African-American area profiled in Jeremy Dean's documentary, "Never Walk Alone."
The Vice Mayor tried to say that my concerns were irrelevant to the proposed utility ordinance under discussion. I had to explain amendments and parliamentary procedure to her -- the fact that a utility fee ordinance could be amended to deal with other utility concerns, which is whyI was also requesting that the City do something about the Time-Warner Cable franchise (it expired two years ago), asking that the City establish a municipal electric utility (like those that serve Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando and 25% of Floridians). It was also why I had asked that the City Attorney be directed to file a complaint on behalf of the City and its residents with the Public Service Commission over overcharges by Florida Power & Light (which the NY Times reported March 15th is charging FPL customers five cents on every dollar for federal income taxes (which FPL does not pay, actually getting refunds) . I objected to the Vice Mayor's tone of voice.
At one point, there was a move toward the podium by St. Augustine Police Officer Barry Fox, who stood in the middle of the room, as if he were waiting for a signal.
At the conclusion of the meeting, I asked our City Commissioners to place extirpating prejudice, poverty and oppression on the agenda for every City Commission meeting.
Speaking of alleviating poverty, prejudice and oppression, our City of St. Augustine needs a Living Wage ordinance for City employees, contractors and franchisee employees. Living costs are spiralling and the City government is indifferent. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and our "leaders" won't even talk about it.
When a Canadian billionaire's entourage slashed Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum and Tour Train employees' hours and eliminated their health care befits, Messrs. George Gardner and Donald Crichlow told Folio Weekly that our City "does not have an oar in that water," showing their lack of knowledge of the City's power to oversee its franchisees.
Writing for The Collective Press, I got the Canadian billionaire on the telephone in 30 seconds --- he said he was unaware of the local pay and benefit cuts, which no one had told him about before. I related this to our Mayor and Commissioners, none of whom have ever expressed any interest in calling him at all, as if supporting workers (instead of developers) were somehow beneath their status).
Since December, 2005, I have spoken out in support of a Living Wage at the last eight City Commission meetings.
Not one Commissioner has moved to direct that there be any work on a Living Wage ordinance.
As St. Augustine gentrifies, "affordable housing" is becoming an oxymoron. I've asked Commissioners if their intention is to make it impossible for working people to live here. As is customary, they won't look me in the eye and they won't answer questions.
The people of our City of St. Augustine deserve better than for our government to be run like a bad banana republic in an old Hollywood movie.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rightly called the City of St. Augustine "the most lawless City in America." 20,000 cubic yards of contaminants in the Old City Reservoir is merely a synecdoche -- a part that stands for the whole thing.
All five City Commissioners refused to discuss those issues when I questioned them.
Vice Mayor Burk interrupting me angrily when I discussed the fact that West Augustine residents pay 25% more for their water and sewer services, while the City refuses to discuss annexation of this underserved, primarily African-American area profiled in Jeremy Dean's documentary, "Never Walk Alone."
The Vice Mayor tried to say that my concerns were irrelevant to the proposed utility ordinance under discussion. I had to explain amendments and parliamentary procedure to her -- the fact that a utility fee ordinance could be amended to deal with other utility concerns, which is whyI was also requesting that the City do something about the Time-Warner Cable franchise (it expired two years ago), asking that the City establish a municipal electric utility (like those that serve Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando and 25% of Floridians). It was also why I had asked that the City Attorney be directed to file a complaint on behalf of the City and its residents with the Public Service Commission over overcharges by Florida Power & Light (which the NY Times reported March 15th is charging FPL customers five cents on every dollar for federal income taxes (which FPL does not pay, actually getting refunds) . I objected to the Vice Mayor's tone of voice.
At one point, there was a move toward the podium by St. Augustine Police Officer Barry Fox, who stood in the middle of the room, as if he were waiting for a signal.
At the conclusion of the meeting, I asked our City Commissioners to place extirpating prejudice, poverty and oppression on the agenda for every City Commission meeting.
Speaking of alleviating poverty, prejudice and oppression, our City of St. Augustine needs a Living Wage ordinance for City employees, contractors and franchisee employees. Living costs are spiralling and the City government is indifferent. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and our "leaders" won't even talk about it.
When a Canadian billionaire's entourage slashed Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum and Tour Train employees' hours and eliminated their health care befits, Messrs. George Gardner and Donald Crichlow told Folio Weekly that our City "does not have an oar in that water," showing their lack of knowledge of the City's power to oversee its franchisees.
Writing for The Collective Press, I got the Canadian billionaire on the telephone in 30 seconds --- he said he was unaware of the local pay and benefit cuts, which no one had told him about before. I related this to our Mayor and Commissioners, none of whom have ever expressed any interest in calling him at all, as if supporting workers (instead of developers) were somehow beneath their status).
Since December, 2005, I have spoken out in support of a Living Wage at the last eight City Commission meetings.
Not one Commissioner has moved to direct that there be any work on a Living Wage ordinance.
As St. Augustine gentrifies, "affordable housing" is becoming an oxymoron. I've asked Commissioners if their intention is to make it impossible for working people to live here. As is customary, they won't look me in the eye and they won't answer questions.
The people of our City of St. Augustine deserve better than for our government to be run like a bad banana republic in an old Hollywood movie.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rightly called the City of St. Augustine "the most lawless City in America." 20,000 cubic yards of contaminants in the Old City Reservoir is merely a synecdoche -- a part that stands for the whole thing.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
State investigates city dumping (Record article, 4/13)
Here's the Record's article: State investigates city dumping KATI BEXLEYPublication Date: 04/13/06
Florida Department of Environmental Protection is conducting a criminal investigation on the city of St. Augustine for dumping 20,000 cubic yards of material into a borrow pit and staging construction waste and vegetation on the site.
The city admits to putting materials on the 80-acre site on Holmes Boulevard and says it will correct the problem.
"We've made some errors and we've been forthright with the agency in our desire to remain in good standing with (them)," said John Regan, city chief operations officer.
FDEP sent a warning letter on March 15 to Mayor George Gardner stating that the city had possibly violated the law.
The letter cites the following problems with the site.
In January, the city moved 20,000 cubic yards from a site on Riberia Street, which was an old dumping ground, to the borrow pit on Holmes Boulevard. The dumping was unauthorized. On March 1, FDEP investigators found the pit was filled with metal, plastic, paper, wood and other solid waste.
FDEP found that a smaller body of water on the site was filled with lime waste used as a water softener at the city's water plants, yard trash and other vegetation.
Two other areas on the site were being used to store the city's yard trash and construction debris, such as piping, wood and tires, before it was taken to landfills. The city did not have permits for this.
Jill Johnson, FDEP spokeswoman, said there is an open criminal investigation of the city for the violations. She wouldn't give further details.
Teresa Monson, St. Johns River Water Management District spokeswoman, said there are no monitoring wells within miles of the dumping site and there is no potential for water pollution. A monitoring well is tested on a regular basis for various minerals, Monson said.
The city applied to St. Johns River Water Management District for a permit on Dec. 20 to dump material into the borrow pit. But Water Management found the city had already used the site without the permit, which the city admits to, according to documents.
On March 1, the city wrote to St. Johns River Water Management District offices and Jacksonville and asked for authorization to fill the borrow pit. That is the same day Department of Environmental Protection inspectors observed a city work crew dump material into the pit.
In the letter, by Public Works Director Robert Leetch, the city acknowledged that it had already dumped 20,000 cubic yards of material into the pit.
"To our knowledge, there are no known, nor have we observed, contaminants or pollution associated with this wetland creation project," Leetch wrote.
However, the state DEP wrote a warning letter to Mayor George Gardner two weeks later that said none of the city workers involved "had any training that would enable them to identify hazardous ... material."
That letter said that FDEP officials had observed on March 1 city workers putting a large amount of "unauthorized solid waste items visible throughout the entire surface ... and beneath the surface water of the borrow pit."
That city truck dumped a 20-yard container of street sweepings on the property, according to the warning letter. The letter shows FDEP found two sites being used as staging areas for construction and vegetation waste before it was taken to landfills.
The materials put into the borrow pit came from a 3.35-acre salt marsh creation project at the end of Riberia Street, Regan said. The city is restoring wetlands at the Riberia site and the city needed to remove the material promptly so seasonal trees could be planted, said William Pence, the city's environmental attorney of Akerman and Senterfitt in Orlando.
"I think the city got into a situation where permits that were needed weren't applied for in enough time," Pence said. "The city fully anticipated it would receive the permit, and we still believe the permit will be issued."
Monson, of Water Management, said the permit is pending and the department is waiting for the city to show the material in the borrow pit isn't contaminated soil or products.
Pence also said the city had people pulling out debris from the material and that only 1 percent would not fall under the state's definition of clean debris.
Regan said the city wasn't aware that permits were needed for the waste. The city has applied for a permit for the vegetation and cleaned up the construction material, Regan said.
The city will meet with FDEP later this month, Regan said. He said the city will do whatever it takes to be in compliance with the state.
"The most important thing is that, in our opinion, we have not harmed the environment," he said.
The FDEP has given the city until Monday to remove all solid waste from the Holmes Boulevard site and to dispose of it in a proper waste management site. After that, the agency has ordered the city to test the site for contaminants in the soil, sediment, water and ground water. If pollution of the surface or ground water is found, the agency ordered the city to take corrective actions. Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/041306/news_3761889.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
Florida Department of Environmental Protection is conducting a criminal investigation on the city of St. Augustine for dumping 20,000 cubic yards of material into a borrow pit and staging construction waste and vegetation on the site.
The city admits to putting materials on the 80-acre site on Holmes Boulevard and says it will correct the problem.
"We've made some errors and we've been forthright with the agency in our desire to remain in good standing with (them)," said John Regan, city chief operations officer.
FDEP sent a warning letter on March 15 to Mayor George Gardner stating that the city had possibly violated the law.
The letter cites the following problems with the site.
In January, the city moved 20,000 cubic yards from a site on Riberia Street, which was an old dumping ground, to the borrow pit on Holmes Boulevard. The dumping was unauthorized. On March 1, FDEP investigators found the pit was filled with metal, plastic, paper, wood and other solid waste.
FDEP found that a smaller body of water on the site was filled with lime waste used as a water softener at the city's water plants, yard trash and other vegetation.
Two other areas on the site were being used to store the city's yard trash and construction debris, such as piping, wood and tires, before it was taken to landfills. The city did not have permits for this.
Jill Johnson, FDEP spokeswoman, said there is an open criminal investigation of the city for the violations. She wouldn't give further details.
Teresa Monson, St. Johns River Water Management District spokeswoman, said there are no monitoring wells within miles of the dumping site and there is no potential for water pollution. A monitoring well is tested on a regular basis for various minerals, Monson said.
The city applied to St. Johns River Water Management District for a permit on Dec. 20 to dump material into the borrow pit. But Water Management found the city had already used the site without the permit, which the city admits to, according to documents.
On March 1, the city wrote to St. Johns River Water Management District offices and Jacksonville and asked for authorization to fill the borrow pit. That is the same day Department of Environmental Protection inspectors observed a city work crew dump material into the pit.
In the letter, by Public Works Director Robert Leetch, the city acknowledged that it had already dumped 20,000 cubic yards of material into the pit.
"To our knowledge, there are no known, nor have we observed, contaminants or pollution associated with this wetland creation project," Leetch wrote.
However, the state DEP wrote a warning letter to Mayor George Gardner two weeks later that said none of the city workers involved "had any training that would enable them to identify hazardous ... material."
That letter said that FDEP officials had observed on March 1 city workers putting a large amount of "unauthorized solid waste items visible throughout the entire surface ... and beneath the surface water of the borrow pit."
That city truck dumped a 20-yard container of street sweepings on the property, according to the warning letter. The letter shows FDEP found two sites being used as staging areas for construction and vegetation waste before it was taken to landfills.
The materials put into the borrow pit came from a 3.35-acre salt marsh creation project at the end of Riberia Street, Regan said. The city is restoring wetlands at the Riberia site and the city needed to remove the material promptly so seasonal trees could be planted, said William Pence, the city's environmental attorney of Akerman and Senterfitt in Orlando.
"I think the city got into a situation where permits that were needed weren't applied for in enough time," Pence said. "The city fully anticipated it would receive the permit, and we still believe the permit will be issued."
Monson, of Water Management, said the permit is pending and the department is waiting for the city to show the material in the borrow pit isn't contaminated soil or products.
Pence also said the city had people pulling out debris from the material and that only 1 percent would not fall under the state's definition of clean debris.
Regan said the city wasn't aware that permits were needed for the waste. The city has applied for a permit for the vegetation and cleaned up the construction material, Regan said.
The city will meet with FDEP later this month, Regan said. He said the city will do whatever it takes to be in compliance with the state.
"The most important thing is that, in our opinion, we have not harmed the environment," he said.
The FDEP has given the city until Monday to remove all solid waste from the Holmes Boulevard site and to dispose of it in a proper waste management site. After that, the agency has ordered the city to test the site for contaminants in the soil, sediment, water and ground water. If pollution of the surface or ground water is found, the agency ordered the city to take corrective actions. Click here to return to story:http://staugustine.com/stories/041306/news_3761889.shtml © The St. Augustine Record
It's Morning in America and St. Augustine, Florida
This morning's St. Augustine Record has a banner headline in a story by Kati Bexley: "State investigates city dumping: Probe concerns 20,000 cubic yards of material at stide near Holmes Boulevard in St. Augustine." Looks like controversial City Manager William B. HARRISS is attempting to abuse subordinate managers and Orlando environmental lawyer as the designated javelin-catchers. We're not surprised. Character counts. Attempting to use others as his "cutouts" is a tried-and-true tactic of all autocrats, like Richard Nixon. Are HARRISS' actions demeaning to the genius of a free people? HARRISS must approve anything, even the painting of a door in City Hall (the Lightner Museum Building, which has a leaky roof, with raindrops being caught in pots and pans and buckets). For HARRISS to be so demure as to let the Chief Operating Officer (John Regan), City Public Works Director (Robert Leetch) and Orlando environmental attorney (William Pence of Akerman & Senterfitt) take "credit" for HARRISS' intentional land and water pollution is, at best facetious. As a retired EPA regulator told me last month, "there's no bedsprings in clean fill." Having put bedsprings into the coquina pit lake along with 20,000 cubic yards of metal, plastic and asphalt debris, we've heard no apology from HARRISS. In the midst of a pending criminal investigation, HARRISS resembles President Richard Nixon (who once shoved press spokesperson Ron Ziegler to deflect press questions about criminality). HARRISS has unkindly shoved Mr. Regan, Mr. Leetch and Mr. Pence in front of the media, while hiding (HARRISS missed the March 13 Commission meeting, when Commissioners defended his honor against one "disgruntled citizen," as Vice Mayor Susan Burk put it, against unverified "charges," as Mayor George Gardner put it. The Record gets much of this complex story right, while unfortunately adhering to the City's "spin" in some places, without effective rebuttal (e.g., inaccurately asserting there is no chance of water pollution when former EPA Regional Administrator John Hanksinson told me that these coquina pit ponds are "an open sore going right down to the aquifer" and local residents used the once-pure waters of our Old Ciy Reservoir for fishing and swimming for decades). Newspapers produce the first rough draft of history, and this first story tells us: It's Morning in America and St. Augustine, Florida. Those who said "you can't fight City Hall" are wrong. A few misguided status quo fanciers are reading this morning what they have reaped from St. Augustine's obsessive goverment secrecy. Anyone who reads about 20,000 cubic yards of illegal pollution and still says "don't make waves" is possibly oblivious to the fact that this is a community of sailors, surfers, fishermen, freethinkers, progressives, and other people who treasure our environment, history and heritage. The truth will set us free.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Online Reading Room for City of St. Augustine, Florida
On February 16, 2006, I asked the City's Public Relations representative, Mayor and Commissioners to do what our County Commission does -- make its agenda notebooks public on the web. Two months later, St. Augustine has not complied. There is no online reading room. The EEOC report has not been supplied (while the County and the Water Management District each complied within hours of my requests.
JAMES PATRICK WILSON, our estimable City Attorney, demands we appear in person at offices to beg for documents, playing a cat-and-mouse waiting game. He wants us to "sell" us documents -- pay 15 cents per page for paper copies. This was my first request:
Dear Mr. Williamson:
Would you please be so kind as to place the complete contents of each of the Commissioners' agenda notebooks on the COSA website in PDF format, as SJCBCCC does? This online reading room procedure is also used by numerous federal and state agencies.Also, please send me the City's annual EEOC report in PDF format, as requested Tuesday.
Thank you.
Now, 55 days later, we're still waiting for a St. Augustine Online Reading Room to be established. We're still waiting for the City's EEOC report to show up. This is the same City that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "the most lawless City in America," one where Jeremy Dean's documentary, "Dare Not Walk Alone" shows the institutional racism continues, a place where 59 of 59 police officers are white in a City that is 15% African-American. City officials say they're "tired" of "disgruntled citizens" criticizing "their" City Manager, WILLIAM B. HARRISS. Democracy is not beanbag. Those whose ideology is "don't make waves" do not belong in a community that is home to many surfers. Those whose Weltanschaung is "you can't fight City Hall" would perhaps be more comfortable in someplace other than St. Augustine, where voters get to overthrow our government every two years.
JAMES PATRICK WILSON, our estimable City Attorney, demands we appear in person at offices to beg for documents, playing a cat-and-mouse waiting game. He wants us to "sell" us documents -- pay 15 cents per page for paper copies. This was my first request:
Dear Mr. Williamson:
Would you please be so kind as to place the complete contents of each of the Commissioners' agenda notebooks on the COSA website in PDF format, as SJCBCCC does? This online reading room procedure is also used by numerous federal and state agencies.Also, please send me the City's annual EEOC report in PDF format, as requested Tuesday.
Thank you.
Now, 55 days later, we're still waiting for a St. Augustine Online Reading Room to be established. We're still waiting for the City's EEOC report to show up. This is the same City that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "the most lawless City in America," one where Jeremy Dean's documentary, "Dare Not Walk Alone" shows the institutional racism continues, a place where 59 of 59 police officers are white in a City that is 15% African-American. City officials say they're "tired" of "disgruntled citizens" criticizing "their" City Manager, WILLIAM B. HARRISS. Democracy is not beanbag. Those whose ideology is "don't make waves" do not belong in a community that is home to many surfers. Those whose Weltanschaung is "you can't fight City Hall" would perhaps be more comfortable in someplace other than St. Augustine, where voters get to overthrow our government every two years.
Still Waiting For Answers on Illegal Dumping -- Day 47
Still waiting for answers on our City's illegal dumping. I've been seeking answers since February 24th. This is an E-mail I sent the City government on March 30, 2006:
Dear Mayor Gardner and Commissioners:
Will our City staff and counsel please discuss installing 24/7 video cameras at the Old City Reservoir, so that citizens, DEP, SJRWMD, EPA, et al. can all watch the Superfund site cleanup on the City's website, and kindly assure that no further dumping or illegalities occur? Do y'all agree that our City has "poisoned the water in this reservoir, and [that] the reservoir cannot be cleansed without first draining it of all impurity[?]" See, e.g., Mesarosh v. United States, 356 U.S. 1 (1956). When will the cleanup begin? How much will it cost? Who will pay? It has been 34 days since I first asked you written questions -- we await answers. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you by close of business today.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Ed Slavin
471-7023
Dear Mayor Gardner and Commissioners:
Will our City staff and counsel please discuss installing 24/7 video cameras at the Old City Reservoir, so that citizens, DEP, SJRWMD, EPA, et al. can all watch the Superfund site cleanup on the City's website, and kindly assure that no further dumping or illegalities occur? Do y'all agree that our City has "poisoned the water in this reservoir, and [that] the reservoir cannot be cleansed without first draining it of all impurity[?]" See, e.g., Mesarosh v. United States, 356 U.S. 1 (1956). When will the cleanup begin? How much will it cost? Who will pay? It has been 34 days since I first asked you written questions -- we await answers. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you by close of business today.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Ed Slavin
471-7023
Hines v. Harriss
Dr. Dwight Hines' pro se complaint in Hines v. Harriss (reproduced in his comment to this blog's 1st post, below) illustrates how important it is for citizens to be involved in their government. We cannot simply "let George do it," where George is overwhelmed by a George Orwellian system of nondisclosure -- a veritable excuse factory, one which Vice Mayor Susan Burk says employs 350 people with a $45 million annual budget. As Thomas Jefferson said, "a public office is a public trust." We trust that public records will be more easily available in the future. What do y'all reckon?
JFK: The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society
President Kennedy said,
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it."
Speech to American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it."
Speech to American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961
The Nation's Oldest City is Worth Saving
20,000 cubic yards of contaminants were unlawfully dumped in the Old City Reservoir of the Nation's Oldest City, here in St. Augustine, Florida. EPA and Florida investigators are investigating environmental crimes. Our City officials violated specific written orders from the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection has issued orders -- our City has requested extensions. Some 77 questions on the illegal dumping that I have asked our City officials since February 24th have gone unanswered.
20,000 cubic yards of illegal dumping by City of St. Augustine City officials is symbolic of a crisis of spirit and lack of trust by our leaders in the people's right to know here in our Nation's Oldest (European-settled) City, founded in 1565.
This beautiful City has 10,000 years of history and is blessed with artists, scholars, actors, musicians, actors, entertainers, historians, tourists, restaurants, hard workers, retirees and progressive activists.
We need full disclosure and we're going to get it. Over 440 years after its founding, does St. Augustine deserve a government as warm and decent as her people and climate?
What do you think?
Will you help us clean up our Nation's Oldest City?
Ed Slavin
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection has issued orders -- our City has requested extensions. Some 77 questions on the illegal dumping that I have asked our City officials since February 24th have gone unanswered.
20,000 cubic yards of illegal dumping by City of St. Augustine City officials is symbolic of a crisis of spirit and lack of trust by our leaders in the people's right to know here in our Nation's Oldest (European-settled) City, founded in 1565.
This beautiful City has 10,000 years of history and is blessed with artists, scholars, actors, musicians, actors, entertainers, historians, tourists, restaurants, hard workers, retirees and progressive activists.
We need full disclosure and we're going to get it. Over 440 years after its founding, does St. Augustine deserve a government as warm and decent as her people and climate?
What do you think?
Will you help us clean up our Nation's Oldest City?
Ed Slavin
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
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